James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

In Part I of this series we began to examine the necessity of various trials, for the purpose of producing patience in our walk of faith. We need patience that we can grow into a mature, and sanctified believer. Salvation is not man focused, but fixed on how our life reveals the glory of God.

This ought to be our chief desire, that we count trials as a time of great joy. This past week I thought about what joy feels like from a natural perspective, for the purpose of understanding the disposition of “count it call joy“.

The day my son Michael was born, is a most vivid memory from all my children’s birth. Upon his entry into my life, deep from within my soul, came a wave of happiness, that overflowed with tears of gratitude and an enormous smile.

In addition, I began to sing praise to God, as the Lord brought song after song, and hymn after hymn of praise. I must of been singing and praying to Abba Father for two hours. I was filled with joy.

The word for joy in the verses above means cheerful delight exceedingly and abundantly, which describes my state at Michael’s birth. The point is, we are to have that kind of joy, when going through a trial, regardless of the difficulty, for it will being about patience perfect work. In turn, this means glory and praise for our God.

In the last post we looked at the first of 6 trials detailed in James chapter 1 (TRIAL ONE: Choosing wisdom to destroy double mindedness). Today we examine trials two and three.

TRIAL TWO: Letting go of what makes me feel safe.

James 1:9-10 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.

In the above verse we see that the lowly brother is to glory in his exaltation. What this means is that in Christ, the poor brother is raised to equal status as a child of God, with those who are in the middle and rich, before the Father. We see this in Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

Laying hold of this in life, raises the poor above his unchanged material circumstances, to rejoice that in Christ, the poor man has all the treasure of heaven at his disposal. Yet with the well off, those who have an abundance, Jesus has called them to humble themselves and give up the security of wealth.

Recall the rich young ruler (Matthews 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-20, Luke 18:18-23). In each account Jesus tells the young man, who thinks himself quite righteous, there is one thing he must do to inherit eternal life; that is to sell all he has and give that money to the poor, then follow the Lord Jesus.

In essence the Lord is telling this rich young ruler to give up everything he possesses, that which makes him a rich young ruler and become a poor, penniless, pauper. Some will say in mockery, that I proffer a wrong understanding of the calling of Christ, but I do not.

Our Lord, Himself, from the time He began His ministry was homeless (Luke 9:58-62) and consistently called those who followed Him to forsake all, or they’d be unworthy to be His disciples. Consider the character of the early church in Acts of the apostles, where compassion for those Christians in need, led those with land and possession to bring themselves to equal humiliation.

Acts 4:34-35 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

Of great import is that this blessed product of the love of God, in the Church was not brought about, by writ or code, but the leading of the Holy Spirit, as the church was in such unhindered union with Christ; except two (Acts 5:1-11).

The point is those who are rich are to rejoice in their self-imposed humiliation, or the loss of that which causes them to trust what they possess (Luke 12:15), rather than in God, who provides all our needs through the riches of His glory in Christ (Philippians 4:19).

Make no mistake, for the one who truly loves the Lord, and is holding too tightly to temporary material possessions and the ability to gain what is wanted apart from Christ, God will remove those false foundations of wealth.

When this occurs, it is certainly a trial, which will shake them into doubt, until they realize the wealth and provision of the Lord, at their disposal; until they realize He will provide what they need.

This is the trial of letting of what makes us feel safe apart from Christ alone. In this trial of humiliation, we learn to hold to His promises of provision, like Philippians 4:19 and Matthew 6:33 that if we “seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, first, all other things” needed “will be added to us”.

The trial is for the purpose of bringing us from double mindedness to a singular fixed point of trust, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. Only then will we rejoice in our humiliation.

Remember this humiliation may not be merely about money. It could be an inordinate trust of an abundance of friends or family we gain our identity or marching orders from—it could be trust in a bank vault sized intellect over trusting the wisdom of God—it may be a trust in the largeness and influence of ministry we say is on behalf of Christ.

The point is that this test will shake our trust in whatever wealth is sustaining us, apart from Christ.

TRIAL THREE: When the Devil comes.

The third area related to trials and allowing patience to have its perfect work in the midst trials (James 1:2-4), is in times of overt temptation. We must remember that trials are testing’s of our faith. God is ultimately sovereign over the testing of our faith, but when it comes to overt temptation to sin, Satan is the genesis point, through the world and the flesh.

A desire not to be tempted, as a Christian, is one we would all would agree would be wonderful. That said, we all must understand that to be a Christian is to suffer temptations, which can be some of the more severe trials.

Let’s understand that temptation does not equal sin. Therefore, to be tempted does not place us in any negative light with our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted in all ways that we may be tempted, yet without sinning or falling to the temptation.

Hebrews 2:17-18 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Before we examine how enduring temptation produces the perfecting work of God in us, let us first define temptation.

The word used for temptation in the Greek language of the New Testament is peirasmos, which means to be solicited or provoked to evil, to violate God’s moral law. In this we understand that in a trial of temptation it is not God provoking or soliciting, but the enemy.

James 1:13-14 13Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

Verse 14 aids us in understanding how patience, in a time of temptation, will catalyze the perfecting our faith and laying hold of a single-minded devotion to Christ.

In order for the devil to entice us in a particular way, there must be something present in us for him to solicit. Therefore we must prayerfully consider, the desires in our lives that can be enticed. Practice praying Psalm 139:23-24.

In addition, we understand that the reign of sin in our lives and its domination as the ruling factor, has been crucified with Christ (Romans 6), but there are patterns of our life of sin, prior to Christ’s freeing us, still present. It is God’s work in sanctification to break those patterns and create new Christ patterns of thought and behavior, which ultimately is the perfecting work of God.

In our Father, allowing the enemy to tempt us, we begin to see these often-hidden patterns. It is when we are enticed by the world, the flesh and the Devil (all of which are under his direct control), that we see what the Lord is working to expel from our lives. A primary reason is that so long as these patterns remain, we will be hampered by doublemindedness.

Therefore, we endure temptation, resisting Satan, no matter the duration of the temptation, because what Satan means for evil, the Lord is working together with everything else, for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

We endure by holding to His word, by which we reckon ourselves, indeed, dead to sin and alive to God and His righteousness. We must do this, for the alternative is devastating.

James 1:14-15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.